Shipborne Special Forces.

Everyone was stunned, looking at the bewildered monk on the flag-raising platform, unsure of what to say.

Don't you know the martial monk? How is that possible? The martial monk's reputation in the Morning Sun recruit camp is second only to Wang Aiguo. These two are absolutely scourges.

Seeing the strange expressions on the faces of the crowd below, the captain roughly guessed what they were thinking. But then, he pulled the monk forward and continued, "You may not have a good impression of him, but today I'll tell you a secret. This monk is the child of a martyr. His father was a forest firefighter, the son of a hero who sacrificed his life fighting a fire in the mountains."

"Whoa!" In an instant, everyone couldn't help but let out a clamor.

Wang Aiguo looked at the monk with utter calmness; he had known about this matter for a long time.

The monk was somewhat surprised when this was revealed. Just as he was about to ask a question, the captain whispered in his ear, "I've seen your resume; your father is a hero."

It was just a simple sentence, but it stirred up immense emotions within the monk.

"Monk, I'd like to ask you, why did you join the army?" the battalion commander asked calmly, looking at the monk.

The monk glanced at the battalion commander, then at the crowd on the parade ground. After surveying the scene for a while, he suddenly smiled.

That smile made Wang Aiguo feel as if he saw countless tall and majestic figures.

"I want to protect the country that my father loved so much."

The monk's calm voice rang out across the playground. It wasn't some grand statement, nor did it contain any sweeping ambitions. Yet, that simple sentence deeply moved Wang Aiguo.

The next moment, Wang Aiguo was the first to applaud. In the military, orders are strictly followed, and applauding without permission might be punished, but Wang Aiguo couldn't help himself. It came from the heart, and he was willing to accept it even if it caused trouble for Master Bi later.

However, to Wang Aiguo's surprise, his clapping did not draw any reprimands. After he took the lead, all the new recruits began clapping enthusiastically.

This applause is for the monks, and even more so for the countless heroes.

The monk was bathed in applause, and his heart was filled with excitement.

At this moment, the battalion commander smiled and said, "Alright, let's begin the conferment of ranks. Here, let me put it on for you first." As he spoke, the battalion commander took the shoulder insignia from the guard of honor next to him and helped the monk put it on.

Meanwhile, everyone on the parade ground took out their military ranks from their pockets and put them on with each other's help.

Once everything was in place, the captain announced loudly, "Good."

That shout of "Bravo!" was like pressing a mute button on the playground, instantly silencing everyone.

At this moment, everyone stared intently at the captain and the warrior monks on the flag-raising platform. They had been waiting for this moment for so long. After this moment, they would truly shoulder the responsibility of guarding this country and become true soldiers.

"I swear!" the captain roared, raising his right fist.

In an instant, everyone raised their right fists, mimicking the captain by raising his fist above his shoulder.

"I am a soldier of the People's Liberation Army. I solemnly swear: to obey the leadership of the Party, to serve the people wholeheartedly, to obey orders, to strictly observe discipline, to be brave and tenacious, to be unafraid of sacrifice, to hone my skills in killing the enemy, to be ready for battle at all times, to never betray the army, and to defend the motherland to the death!"

After the battalion commander finished speaking, everyone roared along with him, as if they wanted to ignite the blood in their veins: "I am a soldier of the People's Liberation Army. I swear: to obey the leadership of the Party, to serve the people wholeheartedly, to obey orders, to strictly observe discipline, to be brave and tenacious, to be unafraid of sacrifice, to hone my skills in killing the enemy, to be ready for battle at any time, to never betray the army, and to defend the motherland to the death!"

More than two thousand people took an oath at the same time, their voices seemingly piercing the clouds, shouting towards the majestic stars, leaving their mark there.

At this moment, Wang Aiguo felt as if an unknown seed had taken root, sprouted, and slowly grown deep within his heart. He recalled the boundless longing he had once held for his father and grandfather. At this moment, his once calm blood began to heat up, to scald, and finally to burn fiercely.

At that moment, he understood that as long as he held this military rank, his blood would never run cold.

"Perhaps... there's still a lot I can do," Wang Aiguo said to himself.

....

The conferment ceremony concluded, and it was an unprecedentedly powerful and moving event. Even Grandpa Bi and his entourage were deeply touched; when Wang Aiguo and the others took their oaths, they all raised their right hands and recited the oaths as well.

After the oath-taking ceremony, everyone rushed back to their dormitories, then grabbed their textbooks and headed to the classroom.

The oath-taking ceremony is over, but life goes on. Passion alone isn't enough; everyone must study diligently to truly become a qualified soldier.

When Wang Aiguo left, he also took his sketchbook with him. His invention design was basically complete, and now it was just the final calibration stage.

After attending classes for half a day, Wang Aiguo found Shen Long with his notebook during lunch.

"Captain Shen, my design is finished. Do you think it's okay?" Wang Aiguo enthusiastically handed his notebook to Shen Long.

Shen Long frowned as he looked at the sketch designed by Wang Aiguo.

Wang Aiguo's heart skipped a beat. What's going on? Is this not going to work?

"Three hundred, to be honest, I'm a humanities major, I can't understand your blueprints." After a long while, Shen Long finally said this.

Wang Aiguo almost fainted at that moment. So all that professionalism you showed just now was just an act?

"Okay, then I can just make the actual thing, right?" Wang Aiguo offered another solution.

"That would be best. Technological innovation is not guaranteed to succeed. Success is not guaranteed with just blueprints. But if you can produce a physical product, you will definitely be more likely to gain the approval of the expert judges."

"So here's the question... what should I use to make it?" Wang Aiguo looked at Shen Long with a curious expression.

Shen Long was taken aback. It seemed that this was a problem... he couldn't solve. But since he had already said it, he had to think of a way.

"Wait a minute, I'll go talk to Grandpa Bi. Such a large brigade, there must be some way to deal with it, right?" With that, Shen Long eagerly went over to Grandpa Bi.

For the next three days, Wang Aiguo did not see Shen Long.